Mr. Conor King:

It is a cultural issue. It is as simple as that. We hear a lot about the word "culture", but culture has many forms and the culture in the defence sector at the moment with respect to consultation is that it is not consultation. It is information at a time of their choosing and that has suboptimal outcomes. It has been shown time and again that it has suboptimal outcomes. We will continue to call for consultation whether we get it or not, because that is what our members expect and it has been proven that timely consultation is important.

We got to it eventually on the working time directive, for example, which will be hugely transformative for the Defence Forces, the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann, their personal lives and their families' lives. We got there eventually, but it was a hard slog. A cultural shift is required on consultation and engagement, particularly in light of the restricted rights of Defence Forces personnel. The conciliation and arbitration scheme is where it is at. Culturally within the Department, conciliation and arbitration have taken a back seat, and that is a leadership issue.